The Story of Tamao Tamamura
by Xbakiyalo
Summary: AU. Two boys separated at birth...a princess caught in a war...a spirit rebelling against his master...one person to bring them all back together... TamaoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne. DISCONTINUED.
1. 1: So It Begins

**Summary:** Two boys separated at birth…a princess caught in a war…a spirit rebelling against his master…one person to bring them all back together…

**Rating:** K+ (PG)

**Genre: **Fantasy/Adventure

**Chapter Notes:** Okay, I know I should be working on my other fanfiction, but I was having major Writer's Block, so I decided to start another one. Warning: this will be a long fic. Beware of extreme strangeness.

**Pairings:** TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Shaman King.

**Key:** Anything in _italics_ is something that happened in the past.

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_"No, don't take them away, leave us alone!" A female voice, begging._

_"I'm sorry, but this has to happen. There's nothing to be done." A harsh male voice._

_"You can't take them both away from me!"_

_"See reason, child. It's for the best…"_

_A scream, and the sound of babies crying. The patter of feet running away into the rain, followed by the clap of thunder. Another person yelling, more screaming. And then-_

_Silence. There will be little happiness in the Asakura household from now on._

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I can barely believe that it's been two years since I lived a happy life. The Tamamura family have always been peaceful, or so my family has told me. I have learned from the past two years that you cannot trust anyone, not even your parents. Our country is in the middle of a long and terrible war. I have seen such things I never even dreamed were possible.

I never thought that a man could be kept alive in pain and agony. I never thought so many people could be killed at once. I never thought my brother would betray his own family…

I now have to live a secret life. I must lie to all but those who have taken me in. Because of my brother's hatred towards the enemy and his stupid desire to have power, I now have no family but Kino and Yohmei Asakura, my adoptive parents. If they hadn't found me, I would not be here to tell my story of pain, fear and love. My story of how one person can change the lives of so many others, just by being himself.

Throughout these two years, many people have called me many things: princess, lover, daughter, saviour, but mostly just friend. It is friendship, I have learnt, that helps you along when everything seems lost; it is friendship that binds us together. But it is love that kept me alive.

Many things make up the story of my life. But my story commences with hate and fear. Although I was told we were always peaceful, my brother hated me. He hated me and he hated my parents. I wish I could have tried to make peace with him, but I never had the courage.

The day it began, I was in my chamber. My mother had presented me the gift of an Ouija Board. I had no idea what it was used for, and I presume my mother thought of it as an elaborate decoration. Anyway, I was playing with it, covering random symbols and letting my mind wander, when suddenly I felt something.

I cannot explain what it feels like to have a prediction. A picture came into my head of my brother. I knew he wanted power, but what I saw shocked me. Surely he wouldn't kill us to seize the throne…?

Filled with fear for myself, I ran away. I just opened the doors and ran out of the palace. No one tried to stop me. I was the princess; I could do what I liked. I took the Ouija Board with me, feeling that it would have some purpose.

I ran. Away from the palace, away from my life, and away from the people I once thought loved me. At nightfall, I slept under a tree. I slept better than I ever had in the palace. In the morning, I awoke to people screaming around me. Covering me head with a cloth so that I would not be recognised, I asked someone what was going on.

"The royal family has been killed!"

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So begins the story of Tamao Tamamura, princess and heir to the throne of Japan. This is my tale of how I fell in love, saved a life and lived happily ever after.

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Hmm, maybe this is going to be too weird. The next chapter will be longer, I promise.

Please review!

Xbakiyalo


	2. 2: Master Yohmei

**Summary:** AU Two boys separated at birth…a princess caught in a war…a spirit rebelling against his master…one person to bring them all back together… TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Rating:** K+ (PG)

**Chapter Notes:** Hmeh. I decided to continue this fic. The storyline is still developing in my head, so there won't be that much of a plot until I get a better idea of what will happen 0o;; And yes, I added a pairing.

**Pairings:** TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Disclaimer:** -sob- Shaman King isn't mine…

**Key:** Anything in _italics_ is something that happened in the past.

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_"Two children? You brought me two of them? You fool! Only one was supposed to come to me! You should have left the other where it was!" A commanding female voice._

_"Mistress, forgive me, I did not know. Keiko Asakura would not part with either of them, so I was forced to take both-" A humble male voice._

_"You shall not consider Keiko any more. Her feelings mean nothing to me. Do you not see? This is about her son. The one son she was supposed to have. Why two have come, I know not. But, as he is here, we shall make good use of him._

_"Take the younger one into your care. I shall look after the older one. He shall become my son, and he shall become just like me…"_

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Three days had passed since I heard the news that my family had been killed. I had no idea what to think, what to believe. Many rumours were going around, a lot of them thinking that my brother had done it. Where they got that idea from, I didn't know. But somehow I knew that they were right.

There were also a lot of people saying that the body of Tamao was never found. Whenever I heard my name, I walked away. I had no desire to know what they were saying about me, be it good or bad. At that time I was too much in shock to think much anyway.

The more I thought about my family, the more I realised that I didn't miss them. True, my mother loved me; at least, she said she did. As I looked around at normal life I could see that some people were getting more love than I ever had. Maybe it was a good thing that I was here, and that they weren't.

Even with that thought in my head, I was having trouble adjusting. I was used to silence, not the loud noises of everyday people. And having to cover my head whenever I went into crowded places was getting constantly annoying. Soon, I just wanted someone to recognise me, so I could start my life again.

So, being the stubborn person that I was back then, I took my head cloth off the next time I went into town. I was desperately hungry at this time, too, which may have been why I was so careless. I didn't want to steal anything, so maybe someone would take pity on me and give me something to eat.

To my surprise, nobody even glanced at me. As I made my way further and further into town, I got more and more frustrated. Why could nobody see who I was? Surely my pink hair would give me away?

But nobody looked at me. Apart from one person.

I gradually became aware that there was an old man sitting in a corner of the market, staring at me. I blushed, for some reason, and the sensation felt strange to me. Little did I know what I was about to find out would lead to me blushing a lot more in my life.

I pretended to ignore the man and sat down on a bench to conjure up a plan of how to get some food without stealing anything. My mind came to a blank, and I found my eyes drawn to the strange man. He was still watching me, and it occurred to me that maybe he knew I was a princess.

Suddenly I felt afraid. Did he have good or bad intentions? Well, there was only one way to find out, I decided. Putting my head cloth on, I strode confidently over to him and sat down on the bench next to him. Now, I could see, his eyes seemed to be looking at everything but me.

I tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Sir?" I wasn't sure how to address him. "Can you tell me about Tamao Tamamura? I heard she escaped the assassins a few days ago."

He turned to look at me. There was silence for a while. I noticed that his feet didn't touch the ground as he sat on the bench. Then, he spoke: "Ah, wit and courage. Just what I expected to see from you, Tamao."

I wasn't surprised, not really. But I felt a blush creep onto my face again, and again wondered why. There was something about this man that I couldn't explain. I learned later that I was sensing his good aura; something I would become practised in.

I didn't know what to answer him, so I blurted out, "Who are you?" in a rude sort of a manner. I don't think he minded, as the small smile on his wrinkly face didn't alter.

"My name is Yohmei Asakura."

"Yohmei," I repeated, slowly. He looked away and I saw the smile on his face disappear. I wondered why, but figured that this wasn't the best time to ask. Instead, I stared curiously at him. He returned the stare and it was me that looked away first. This man radiated control in a way I was sure I never could.

"Tamao, do you have your Ouija Board?"

I was surprised at the sudden, seemingly random question. "Yes," I stuttered, as I got it out of my pocket. "You do know what it is?"

He nodded. "I think you'd better come with me."

He stood up and I followed suit. As he walked off, I followed him, clutching my Ouija Board close to my chest. I couldn't shake off the feeling that he knew more about me than I did.

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"There are many things I fear you do not know, Tamao Tamamura. Things that you will need to know when your path splits in two and you must chose which one to follow. For instance, you do not even know what an Ouija Board is. I would have thought your mother, of all people, would have told you what it was, and given it to you sooner. Now my part in your future will be harder, and you must train more.

"Tamao, this may be hard for you to understand, but you are not just an ordinary princess. Like your mother, and her mother before that, you are a Shaman. That means you have powers in controlling spirits. You have an extra power of prediction. It is not as strong as I would have hoped, but we can change that in time.

"I cannot believe that you have been kept in ignorance for this much time. It is time you learned the truth, Tamao, but I fear it would be too much for you to comprehend at the moment. I will tell you when the time is right. But for now you need to start training."

We were in Izumo, where Yohmei's home was. He was holding my Ouija Board and my eyes kept diverting to stare at it. I wanted to know what it was, but something was holding me back. I had no doubt Yohmei would show me soon anyway, the rate at which he was talking.

I found what he was saying interesting, but annoying. I was ready for any 'secret' he had about me. Why did he have the right to know something about me that I didn't? However, I was surprised to learn that I was a Shaman. I had heard of them, but they were always described as 'demons' and I was told they controlled spirits, forcing them to fight even after death. The very idea had seemed horrible to me at first, but on the way to Izumo, Yohmei had been telling me about his past as a Shaman.

I was jolted from my thoughts when Yohmei started talking again.

"To start with, we must get you a spirit. I know of two…unorthodox…spirits that may be able to help you out with your predictions, as well as normal Shaman practises."

I looked up. He was going to give me some spirits?

"Ponchi! Konchi!" he called. Two statues at the side of the room started to wobble and I backed away from the one nearest to me. What was happening?

The statues disappeared in a puff of smoke and when it cleared I saw two hovering things floating near Yohmei. As I focused on them, I could see one was a red raccoon creature and the other a yellow fox creature. They were seriously strange.

"Tamao," introduced Yohmei. "Meet Ponchi and Konchi, your spirits."

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You know what? That took a long time to write -sigh- I have this weird feeling that Yohmei is a little OOC. What do you think? Next chapter coming soon (it'll be longer)!

psst- You see that little button down there? Yeah, the one that says 'go'? Isn't it lovely? Don't you just want to click it and write some lovely stuff about this story? Go on, you know you want to! You'll get your name displayed at the bottom of the next chapter with a little comment from the author…

**Midori.wave:** Thanks for your review! You're right; the rating probably will go up, but not for a while yet. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Nonesofar:** Heehee! Shocked about something? Don't worry, this is AU so most information about their background I made up. Tamao doesn't really have a brother.

**Daedal:** This is AU, so it has nearly no relevance to the actual storyline. Plus, the dub just made up that whole thing about 'Lock' so no one would know what it meant. And you'll see about Tamao's personality in the next chapter…

Xbakiyalo

P.S. Is Izumo the place where Yohmei lives? I can't remember if that's the right spelling or not. And is Konchi spelt with a 'K' or a 'C'?


	3. 3: Anna Kyouyama

**Summary:** AU Two boys separated at birth…a princess caught in a war…a spirit rebelling against his master…one person to bring them all back together… TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Rating:** K+ (PG)

**Chapter Notes:** Sorry this chapter took so long. I was on holiday, and it's a bit longer than the others. Yes, I know, a lot was wrong with the last chapter. So many details that need to be changed. I should really get a beta-reader. Any volunteers?

**Pairings:** TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Shaman King. I do own a rather large teddy bear, though. Not that that has anything to do with the story, but I'm just wasting your time here XD

**Key:** Anything in _italics_ is something that happened in the past.

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_"Keiko! What in Heaven's name are you doing here? I thought I told you never to show your face here again. Get out at once!" The same female voice as before._

_"I'm sorry, Mistress, but I wanted to see their faces one last time before I move on. Grant me this wish, Mistress!" A different, stumbling female voice._

_"Fine. But it will not come without a cost. You go in that room and you will never be able to leave this place. You chose, Keiko; see your sons one more time and never see Mikihisa again, or walk away and swear never to come back."_

_"I…I wish to see my sons."_

_A door creaks open and there is a cry of joy. Silence rules for a moment, until Keiko's sobs echo throughout the room. All too soon, the door is shut and she screams as someone grabs her from behind. A thud later, there is a sound of dragging feet._

_"I knew you'd never move on, Keiko. You're too weak even to resist me!" _

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I gradually got used to my life with Yohmei. He was a good teacher, and gradually I began to understand the strange visions I was having. Konchi and Ponchi began to grow on me after a while, even if they were a little rude.

It was three weeks after I moved in with Yohmei that I met his wife, Kino. I first saw her in one of my visions, but at that time I had no idea who she was. When I mentioned it to Yohmei, he seemed incredibly happy. I suppose it was because that meant his wife was coming to see him. I was glad that he trusted my visions after so little time.

He had never talked much about her before, so when I saw her I was a little surprised. I shouldn't have been, really, because she was just as short as Yohmei, with white hair and petite glasses. When I was introduced, I felt my face go red, and again wondered why I was becoming so shy.

"Ah, Tamao. I was wondering when I would see your face," she said, greeting me.

"M…Mistress Kino. It's good to meet you."

She reached out to hug me and I tensed as she clasped her thin arms around me. Her good aura was strong, so I relaxed. I don't really know what it was that told me she was a good person, but a warm feeling inside me confirmed it.

She looked me up and down. "You're training here with Yohmei, aren't you?"

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

She laughed. "Call me Kino."

I blushed once more. "Yes, Kino," I said deliberately. "Master Yohmei is a very good teacher. I've learnt how to make more sense of my predictions because of him."

Kino smiled, and a picture suddenly flashed in my mind: it was raining and there was a sound of crying. Someone was running away. Kino's face appeared, wet with tears, as well as Yohmei's and two other people I didn't recognise. Then it was gone.

"Excuse me, Kino," I said, backing out of the room. I could see her worried face as I left. As soon as I was out of sight, I ran for Yohmei.

"Master Yohmei!" I called, turning the corner into his room. "Master Yohmei, I just had a vision!"

He looked up from sitting in a meditating position and motioned for me to come towards him. I knelt down next to him, biting my fingernails.

"Tell me about it," he said, calmly.

I explained everything that I'd seen. I watched his face, waiting for a reaction. He considered me closely, and then turned away and closed his eyes. "That, Tamao, was not a prediction. What you just saw was a moment from the past."

I looked at him. I could see the past as well?

"The person running away called himself 'The Mistress's Adviser'. The two other people were daughter, Keiko, and her husband, Mikihisa."

I drew in breath. "What was happening? Why was Kino crying?"

He sighed. "I did not mean for you to find this out, but some greater being must have wished it so. Keiko gave birth to twin boys. The Mistress's Advisor came the day after they were born and took them away. You see, the Mistress knew there was something special about one of the boys. But she did not know which one, so she took both.

"Two days after the boys were taken, Keiko disappeared. My guess is that she went after the Mistress to try and get her sons back. We have never seen her since, so she must have been captured by the Mistress."

I found that my eyes were wet and hastily dried them on my sleeve. "Who is this 'Mistress' you keep talking about?"

Yohmei's eyes were also wet. "We know nothing about her, save what the Mistress's Advisor told us. He just said that she had ultimate power, and no one could resist her."

I stayed silent, thinking, keeping the pictures of the vision fresh in my mind. "What were the sons called?"

"Yoh and Hao."

I went to bed that night feeling much more sober than I ever had before.

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It was the middle of the night. I could tell because the moon was directly in the centre of the sky. I was awake; I had just had another vision. I wasn't too sure what to think of it. My previous one had been looking into the past, not the future, so maybe this one was too. I closed my eyes and found myself looking once again at the girl in my vision. That was the last straw. I went to find Yohmei.

He wasn't asleep in his room as I thought he would be. He was sitting by the fire, staring into it as if it held all the secrets to the world. I felt mean going up to him and shaking him by the shoulder, waking him from his reverie.

"Master Yohmei, I think I had another vision. I'm not sure if it was the past of the future."

He didn't say anything, so I continued. "I saw a girl. She was older than me, wearing a black dress, and something red on her head. She had some blue beads around her neck. I think she's coming to Izumo!"

Yohmei nodded. "Yes, her name is Anna Kyouyama. She is coming here to undergo extra training in her Itako powers."

"Itako? What's that?"

"An Itako is a type of Shaman who can bring back, or banish, the dead. The beads she wears are used to call the dead from the Spirit World. Anna is very practised at it. Oh, Tamao?"

"Yes, Master Yohmei?"

"Don't be scared by Anna's personality. She only uses it as a cover-up. She's very nice once you get to know her."

"Yes, Master Yohmei."

"Good-night, Tamao."

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I awoke the next morning to a lot of noise outside. Opening the window, I saw Yohmei and Kino standing in the garden talking to someone else. I squinted against the early morning sun and realised with a start that it was the girl from my vision – Anna.

Hurriedly, I got dressed (ignoring rude remarks from Konchi and Ponchi), and went down to meet her. Her first remark was "Hello Tamao," and her second was "Fix breakfast for us please."

I was a little stunned, but remembered what Yohmei had said the night before. Quietly, I went back into the house to make Anna some breakfast. Having no idea what she wanted, I decided to make a small buffet that we all could have. I had just finished spreading it out on the table when Anna, Kino and Yohmei entered the room.

I tried to smile at them. "Welcome to Izumo, Anna. I hope you enjoy your breakfast."

She stared at me as we sat down to eat. I could feel her eyes boring into my face and refused to look at her. Instead, I concentrated on putting my food in my mouth. I looked up at a quiet spluttering sound. Anna put her chopsticks down.

"This is the worst breakfast I've ever had. Try again, Tamao."

I glanced at Kino and Yohmei, unsure of what to do. Yohmei gazed solemnly at me and Kino gave me a hesitant smile. I turned and went back into the kitchen, feeling my face go red.

I had a long morning ahead of me.

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As I said at the beginning, if anyone can beta-test for me, or knows of anyone who will, please say so in a review and leave an email that I can contact you. I will be forever in your debt if you do!

Yeah, I promise that the next chapter will have you all reeling from shock. –Smirk- I have a lot more in stock for you all.

**Andrea Nefisto:** :D Yeah, the flashbacks are meant to be confusing. Figured out who the bad 'Mistress' is yet? Bet you can't guess!

**Daedal:** Thanks for your positive comments O.o;; Lots of things will get explained later, like why no one recognises Tamao, and why she goes with Yohmei when he's a total stranger. I agree, though, I'm not too keen on the last chapter myself. It lacks lots of information and it's a bit confusing. I might rewrite it.

**Dragutza: **Thanks! The others will come in quite soon, don't you worry.

**Midori.Wave:** Yep, Anna has now come in, as you can very well see. Yoh will come along pretty soon, but there are some things you need to know about him first!

**Devilicious-jo: **Meh, I'll keep Konchi with a K if you're not sure. Thanks anyway!

**Akira:** The first chapter is Tamao speaking from the end of the story. The whole story is her looking back at what happened, so when she says that Kino and Yohmei are her adoptive parents, it means that at the end they are her adoptive parents. Make sense?

**Ren0bsesser: **Glad you like it! Ren won't come in for a while yet, but he'll be a main character.

As always, please leave a review!

Xbakiyalo

Please answer in your reviews if you can: 

· I haven't seen any episodes with Kino in. Is her character okay?

· Does Tamao call Yohmei "Master Yohmei" or am I making that up?

· What exactly is the thing Anna wears on her head called? Is it a headscarf?

· Can someone explain Anna's past to me?

· Am I right in thinking Tamao calls Anna "Miss Anna"?


	4. 4: Hao Asakura

**Summary:** AU Two boys separated at birth…a princess caught in a war…a spirit rebelling against his master…one person to bring them all back together… TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Rating:** K+ (PG)

**Chapter Notes:** Prepare to have your mind blasted.

**Pairings:** TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Disclaimer:** It's not mine. If I owned it, Fox Kids wouldn't have been allowed to stop showing it half way through the series. –Kicks the people in charge of Fox Kids-

**Key:** Anything in _italics_ is something that happened in the past (i.e. this whole chapter takes place in the past).

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_It had been thirteen years since Hao had come to the Mistress's hideout, and thirteen years since he had ever gone outside the building. Thirteen years had passed since he had ever had a full night's sleep, and thirteen years since anyone had ever said anything nice to him._

_Thirteen years can seem like a long time when all you do is train._

_The Mistress had found him a spirit when he was five years old. He was impressed that she managed to get one of the Great Spirits, but was secretly a little afraid of the Spirit of Fire. To an adult it was big, but to a five-year-old it was huge._

_He had quickly learnt to work with and control the Spirit of Fire. There would have been a beating waiting for him if he hadn't. At the age of seven he had mastered Hyoi Gattai and could control a perfect Oversoul at eight. The next three years saw him easily defeat many Shamans older than him. In the two years following that, he had fought some of his previous trainers, and won._

_The Mistress became a motherly figure to him. She was the only one who said anything vaguely complimentary to him, not that he would include that in the 'nice' category. The Mistress was not his trainer. Hao had had many instructors over the years, and he was never once told any of their names. The most any of them had stayed was two months._

_But today was Hao's birthday, or so he had been told. At the Mistress's hideout, you accepted everything you were told, or suffer the consequences. Today should have been special to Hao. He had reached his teenage years after thirteen long years of training; but no one gave him a second thought._

_Hao himself didn't realise until the afternoon. He felt his heart wrench but pushed the feeling down. He had been taught from an early age that emotions would only get in the way of becoming a great Shaman._

_He was in his quarters when he realised that it was his birthday. It was technically his bedroom, but Hao had decided that it wasn't nice enough to be called that. He only knew that there was something nicer because the Mistress's room, which he had been to many a time, was better than his._

_A bell rang in one corner of his quarters, signalling that the Mistress wanted to see him. Tiredly, as always, he got up and walked along the maze of corridors, finding his way flawlessly to the Mistress's door. He knocked, it opened, and he went inside._

_The Mistress's room was the nicest in the hideout. She was in charge, so she had everything she wanted: a soft bed, a clean floor and other things that most people would take for granted, that Hao never had._

_As he went in the room, the Mistress was sitting on her bed. Hao was motioned to sit next to her, which he did, savouring the softness of the duvet. He looked at his feet, at the floor, at anything but the Mistress. That was something he had been taught, too: never look your superiors in the eye._

_Hao had often wondered exactly how old the Mistress was. She looked quite young, about in her mid-twenties, but seemed to have a personality that exceeded that by far. So it came as no surprise when she looked him up and down, saying, "You look stronger than you did a few days ago, Hao."_

_The thirteen-year-old gave no reaction, but the Mistress was used to that. Nearly everyone who worked for her was tired by the afternoon. It was a way of life for her._

_"Hao, you're probably wondering why I called you here. The thing is, I'm getting concerned about you. You are winning your matches easily, and I fear it will make you slack off on your training if you find it too easy."_

_Hao looked up. You were allowed to look your superiors in the eye when you were spoken to directly. "Mistress, I don't-"_

_"Of course you don't want extra training, Hao, but you must! Don't you want to become the most powerful Shaman? Even if you don't, I want you to, and you must not go against what I say. You need extra training."_

_Hao looked once again at the floor. "Yes, Mistress."_

_The Mistress stayed perfectly still. "Hao, how would you like to continue with some different training, outside the hideout? I have a special job for you, which would improve your skills greatly."_

_Hao looked up once more. "Mistress?"_

_"I need you to go to Tokyo and find a person called Mikihisa. Fight him. It will test your skills to the limit, but will make you stronger if you succeed. Go and see your trainer now. He will give you instructions."_

_Hao nodded and left the room. The Mistress sat silently on her bed for a while; staring at the door he went through._

_"Do you really think he has a chance, Mistress?"_

_A green-haired man older than the Mistress walked out of the shadows at the back of the room. This was the Mistress's Advisor._

_"Of course he does, Leam. After all, wasn't it prophesised that that Keiko Asakura's son would become the strongest Shaman ever? I have full confidence in Hao."_

_"But he does not have your skill."_

_As the Mistress turned towards Leam, a bubble appeared around her and she transformed into Hao. The bubble came again, and she was back to normal. "Hao does not need to shape-shift to win against his father. But I think he might need a spur, in case he finds out that Mikihisa is his father."_

_The bubble materialised around her once more and when it disappeared, a small, eight-year-old girl stood in her place. Smirking, the Mistress looked at herself in the mirror._

_"Just call me Iron Maiden Jeanne."_

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Teehee. Alright. Let's have a show of hands. Who guessed that _Jeanne_ would be the baddie? Go on, admit it. You had no idea, did you?

**Daedal: **Thanks for your comments. I'm glad it's making more sense now I'm getting into the flow of the story.

**Nonesofar:** Here's your update!

**Andrea Nefisto:** Well, you know who the Mistress is now I'll change the thing about Mikihisa and Keiko in the last chapter, and add their ages in the next one.

As always, please leave a review!

Xbakiyalo


	5. 5: Mikihisa Asakura

**Summary:** AU Two boys separated at birth…a princess caught in a war…a spirit rebelling against his master…one person to bring them all back together… TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Rating:** K+ (PG)

**Chapter Notes:** Muah-ha-ha. Me and my evil mind.

**Pairings:** TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Disclaimer:** Shaman King is geen mijn. Shaman King is not mine. Shaman King n'est pas à moi. Shaman King ist nicht mein. Shaman King non è miniera. Shaman King não é mina. Shaman King no es mina. Got the point yet?

**Key:** Anything in _italics_ is something that happened in the past.

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_ There is a man standing outside a door in the rain. His wet hair sticks to his face as he stares into the distance. It is as if he is waiting for someone. Behind him, two other people look on in anxiety. They are just as worried as he is, but don't show it._

_One of them puts their hand on his shoulder. "She's gone, Mikihisa. She'll never come back now."_

_Mikihisa looks away. He won't accept that fact. He'll go on fighting as long as there's still hope for them. Still hope that she's alive. Still hope that she hasn't done what he thinks she's done._

_For an hour more he stands there. The other two have gone inside the house. Mikihisa turns and looks at Izumo, his home. "Itte kimasu," he whispers. Good bye…_

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It had been a week since Anna moved in with us. I hadn't had a free morning all seven days. Luckily I didn't cook lunch or dinner: Kino took pity on me and made those meals, and Anna seemed to like her cooking better than mine. It's a little upsetting really.

I thought a lot about what Yohmei had said about his two grandchildren; Yoh and Hao, they were called. I couldn't get their names out of my head, for some reason. It was like I had some sort of connection to them, but I didn't know what.

I also thought about Mikihisa. I wondered what he was feeling, if he was still around. I noticed that Yohmei hadn't said anything much about him. I presumed that he had just disappeared when Keiko did. It was really sad, the more I thought about it. I wanted to meet Mikihisa, tell him I'm sorry. But I wasn't even sure what I was sorry for.

I wondered about Keiko, too. If this 'Mistress' really captured her, what was she doing right now? What had happened to her? I wanted to know so much, but feared what Yohmei would say if I asked him.

Maybe I should have asked. It may have prepared me for what happened next.

I was in my room when it happened. Konchi and Ponchi were in their statue forms, thankfully. I wouldn't have been able to handle their crude remarks at that time. There was a loud scream from outside. It sounded male. I rushed to the window.

There was a big cloud of smoke in the woods out the back of Izumo. I stared at it for a few seconds in horror. I could sense something very powerful was astir. Something that was capable of a lot of destruction. There was a Shaman fight going on.

The next thing I knew, Yohmei burst into my room. "Hurry Tamao," he said. "We must see what caused that disturbance."

For some reason, I instinctively knew what to do. "Konchi, Ponchi. Follow me!"

I ran out of the room with Yohmei, my spirits quietly following for once. I vaguely noticed Kino and Anna joined us as we left the house and headed for the woods. Already I was out of breath, but forced my legs to keep going. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

It seemed like hours until we reached where the noise was coming from, though it was only a few minutes. We had arrived in the middle of a huge clearing. I caught a glance of a ramshackle hut near the trees on the far side of the clearing, but a cloud of smoke covered it before I could get a proper view.

In the sky in front of me, there were two blurs fighting. I could not see the actual people or one of the spirits, but one of them I could see. It was big and red and robotic. I suppose that's the only way to describe it. It seemed to be radiating strength.

As we watched, I could see the two people more clearly. One of them looked about in his late thirties, and the other, surprisingly, about thirteen – four years older than me. The younger boy, I could see quite clearly, was winning the fight. The man was holding his arm as if in a lot of pain.

Beside me, I heard Kino sob and Yohmei stared at his feet. With confusion came realisation. This was Mikihisa. And it wasn't looking too good for him.

I turned to Yohmei. "What're you going to do?" The words came out in a rush, and Yohmei made no reaction. So much for that.

I turned back to watch the fight. The boy, who seemed strangely familiar, had just thrown a direct hit at Mikihisa which knocked him of balance. I watched as if in slow motion as he fell down onto the ground.

His eyes turned towards us and I think he noticed us for the first time since we arrived on the scene. His pained expression grew worse as he saw his wife's parents watching him be defeated. Then his eyes rested on me and I felt strangely uneasy. He had a lot of power. So why was he losing?

The other person noticed us as well, but he didn't seem bothered by it. As I watched him, our glances met and I hastily looked away. His dark brown eyes gave me the shivers.

Time slowed to nearly a stop as Mikihisa tried to get up. His opponent walked calmly up to him. I could see triumph in his eyes, and fear in Mikihisa's eyes. The end of the fight was coming up, and I couldn't bear to watch it.

As I closed my eyes and turned away, another loud noise startled me. It wasn't coming from the fight; it was coming from somewhere else. I looked up as someone literally flew overhead and landed on the other side of the clearing. I didn't see his face, but he sent an attack directly towards the person fighting Mikihisa. I could sense anger in him as he was thrown backwards.

I looked for the mystery person who had probably saved Mikihisa's life, but he was gone. Behind me, I heard a strange voice:

"Everything will work out."

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Mwahaha. I love leaving cliff-hangers.

**Andrea Nefisto:** There'll be another chapter in the past. Actually, I think it's the next one. Mwahaha! Just you wait!

**Nonesofar:** peels off leg Okay, okay, I'll update!

**Morgan000:** Here's the update.

**Daedal:** Yeah, knew you'd be surprised. I'll explain everything about them later. I agree – poor Mikihisa!

As always, please leave a review!

Xbakiyalo

P.S. Yes, Mikihisa does really wear glasses when he doesn't have his mask on. Does anyone know what Mikihisa's spirit is called?


	6. 6: A Special Meeting

**Summary:** AU Two boys separated at birth…a princess caught in a war…a spirit rebelling against his master…one person to bring them all back together… TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Rating:** K+ (PG)

**Chapter Notes:** After a lot of deleting and writers' block, here is the sixth chapter.

**Pairings:** TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Disclaimer:** S'not mine.

**Key:** Anything in _italics_ is something that happened in the past.

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_Two boys can be seen sitting by a man. The younger boy has green hair like the man, but the other has long, dark brown hair and brown eyes. They are both firing questions at their guardian._

_ "Leam?"_

_"Yes, Yoh?"_

_"Why do you call me Asakura and not Diethel like you?"_

_"It's a long story, Yoh. I've no doubt that you will find out why soon enough. But you are too young to find out now. Seven is still a child's age. You have some growing to do."_

_"Dad?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"Why is the Mistress looking for us? What does she want us for?"_

_"I've told you before, Lyserg. I work for her, and I have to abide by her rules. I broke them by hiding you here. You understand that it was for your safety, but she does not. Respect the Mistress's feelings, and I shall respect yours."_

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I spun around; to see an empty forest behind me. Whoever that was, he was long gone. The funny thing was, no one else seemed to have noticed that anyone said anything. I suppose I can understand why. Yohmei and Kino immediately rushed over to Mikihisa to make sure he was okay. The boy…let's just say he was out cold.

I desperately wanted to know if Mikihisa was okay, but something caused me to go over to the boy instead. He was slumped against the trunk of a tree, an expression of anger and pain on his face. It broke my heart to see that, even though I wanted to hate him for what he'd done.

I just stood there and stared at him for ages. There was something about him that made me want to help him, but a stronger part of me resisted. He had nearly killed Mikihisa. That was something I wouldn't forget easily.

But that didn't stop me propping him up in a more comfortable position.

Trying not to look back at him, I went over to where Yohmei and Kino were trying to revive Mikihisa. I think he'd fainted when the mystery person saved him. I don't blame him, really. If that were me, I'd have fainted long ago.

I helped Yohmei put Mikihisa into a sitting position. Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide and looked around him. I noticed that they were bloodshot. He looked up at me, which surprised me. Then, he spoke:

"Get Kitsune…Tanuki…"

His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he once more fell into unconsciousness, leaving me baffled. Who were Kitsune and Tanuki? I considered. They could either be his children or his spirits.

Decided that he probably wouldn't have children, I came to the conclusion that they were his spirits. And that meant I could help. Yohmei and Kino pretended not to notice and continued trying to drag him gently away.

I stepped into the middle of the clearing and said, in a loud and clear voice. "Kitsune! Tanuki!" like I always did with Konchi and Ponchi.

To my surprise, two spirits who looked a little like Konchi and Ponchi came whizzing out of the trees. They looked battered and completely worn out, but also ashamed.

"Kitsune?" I asked, turning to the first one to arrive, a fox spirit. He nodded, so I turned to the raccoon spirit. "And Tanuki?" He nodded as well.

"Mikihisa's hurt. Can you help him?"

They began chattering excitedly to each other. I caught nothing of their conversation. They finished abruptly, nodded at each other and whooshed over to Mikihisa. In a flash, they had picked him up and were hovering in the air, looking expectantly at Yohmei and Kino, who were stunned.

They came around though, and, thankful looks on their faces, ushered the two spirits carrying Mikihisa out of the forest. They didn't space a look back for me, but I wasn't expecting one. It must have been a hard time for them. Instead, I went and stared at the boy again.

His face had relaxed slightly from when I last left him, but he still looked in pain. I glanced at Yohmei and Kino disappearing into the trees, and decided that they probably wouldn't mind.

"Konchi! Ponchi!" My two spirits, who had remained strangely quiet during this encounter, immediately got up and hovered in front of me. I motioned at the boy and they seemed to understand perfectly what I meant. They picked him up surprisingly gently and followed me out of the forest.

----------------------------

It appeared I was wrong: Yohmei and Kino _did_ mind. When they saw him Kino nearly screamed and her eyes filled with tears. Yohmei's eyes clouded over and he pointed at the boy. My heart nearly stopped. I couldn't take him back!

I pretended to ignore them and lead Ponchi and Konchi into my room, where they laid him down on my bed. I tucked him in, clothes and all.

It was only then that I realised I hadn't seen Anna at all during the fight. I wondered where she had gone when she burst into my room. I nearly jumped out of my seat, but turned towards her with much hesitation.

"What were you thinking, bring him back here? Now you've completely ruined everything. Well done, Tamao!"

I frowned. "What did I do wrong? He was hurt, and I'm going to make him better."

"Tamao, must I explain everything to you? That boy, he's…Oh, never mind. Now that he's here you might as well find out by yourself."

She stormed off, leaving me very confused. What was wrong with trying to do a good deed? Shrugging it off, I continued to watch the boy, hoping that he'd wake up.

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Only when I jerked awake did I realise that I'd fallen asleep by my bed. I shivered; it was dark outside and a wind was blowing through my open window. Stretching, I got up and closed it. As I turned, reading to sit down again, the boy on the bed stirred.

I tiptoed over to my chair and sunk into it. Then, I watched him wake up. It was fascinating; first he turned over, and then again, as if he was having a bad dream; then he reached up and grabbed at the air. I wanted to laugh, until he opened his eyes and looked at me.

As we locked eyes, something inside me jolted. What was I doing? This was the person who, ultimately, could have killed all of us. Why had I put him on my bed? But for some reason, I couldn't leave his gaze. It was as if he had hypnotised me, for I couldn't look away.

He looked away first and broke the spell. It probably wasn't as magical to him as it was to me. My pink eyes weren't that interesting. He stretched and, pushing back the duvet, pulled his legs off the bed and onto the floor.

Something inside caused me to get up and stand behind my chair. He was intimidating me, and he knew it. He smiled a smile that could be called a smirk. To my surprise, he wasn't angry any more; at least, he wasn't showing it. I expected him to be angry with everyone because he lost his fight. But he wasn't.

"Hello."

If I expected him to speak, that was the last word I expected him to say. He was being _nice_ to me. I had no idea how to react.

"Who are you?" I decided on a polite, easy thing to say. It was the first thing that came to mind.

He laughed, for some reason. "I'm not supposed to give you my real name. For now, though, call me Hao."

I recoiled in shock. "Hao?"

He looked mildly surprised. "Yes, that's my name."

I gaped. "You're Hao Asakura?"

Now he frowned. "Yes. Is something wrong?"

"No," I spluttered. "Nothing's wrong. It's just that you fought your father and are now residing in his parents' house!"

Hao looked frightened. It was a strange expression for his face to wear. "My father?" It came out as a whisper.

"Yes, your father. Mikihisa Asakura." I decided that I was being a bit too harsh on him. "Didn't you know that?"

He shook his head. "Let's go back to the beginning. I'll start with my side of the story, and then you can say yours.

"I was brought up by the Mistress ever since I can remember…"

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Voila. Hao and Tamao meet at last. Sorry this chapter took so long! I had intended to make this a chapter in the past but it got so complicated that I deleted it and started again. The next chapter will come a lot quicker.

**Morgan000: **Ah, but is it really Yoh? Tune in next time to find out!

**Midori.Wave: ** Thanks for the info!

**Nonesofar:** -pulls off arm- -.-;;

**Daedal: **No he isn't -looks around for Yoh-

**Andrea Nefisto: '**Itte Kimasu' means 'Goodbye'. I tried to make that clear, but since you're confused that means it obviously isn't. Hmm.

As always, please leave a review!

Xbakiyalo


	7. 7: Talking

**Summary:** AU Two boys separated at birth…a princess caught in a war…a spirit rebelling against his master…one person to bring them all back together… TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Rating:** K+ (PG)

**Chapter Notes:** Summer holidays at last! For celebration, enjoy the seventh chapter!

**Pairings:** TameoxHao, AnnaxYoh, PirikaxRen, LysergxJeanne

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, only the plot.

**Key:** Anything in _italics_ is something that happened in the past.

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_"Leam? Leam!" A young boy is running through the trees, pushing the branches aside as if he knew exactly when each one was going to swing in his way. "Leam!"_

_A man came out from a makeshift house in the middle of a clearing. "Yes, Yoh?"_

_"There's another person living in the forest! He's wearing a weird beak mask and he's dressed in baggy clothes!"_

_Leam found this funny. "Don't be surprised, Yoh. There are many hermits living in these woods. Just ignore him and he'll ignore you."_

_When Yoh shrugged it off and went back into the forest, Leam frowned. He had felt something odd and now Yoh had seen someone. This was definitely bad news…_

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While Hao told me his story, I tried to get my mind around the situation. I was talking to Hao Asakura. I'd heard as much as possible from Yohmei and now he'd just told me his past. When he finished, I wanted to cry. I couldn't begin to imagine what it must have been like.

Then I told him my life. It was luxury, compared to his. But telling it to him made me remember things I thought I had forgotten. I couldn't remember my mother's face, and I had forgotten all about the war.

It's funny how time makes you forget.

When I had finished, we were both silent. A thought occurred to me. "Is Hao your real name? You told me that you weren't supposed to tell me your real name."

Hao smiled wryly. "The Mistress said that telling people you were giving them a false name and then giving them your real name was the best way of hiding your identity." He laughed, and it sounded bitter. "I guess that backfired."

I nodded numbly, trying to work things out. "We need to take you to Yohmei and Kino."

"Who?" he asked.

"They're Keiko's parents."

"Who's Keiko?"

I sighed sadly. It seemed that I knew more about him than he did. "Keiko is your mother. Yohmei and Kino are your grandparents."

"Oh." It was strange how he managed to put so much emotion into that one word. Sadness and confusion and uncertainty.

There was silence, and then I stood up. "Come on, we'd better get it over with." I held out my hand and he took it. To my surprise, it was warm to the point of being hot, even though it was a cold night. I looked at his face but he didn't look ill. I shrugged, too tired to think anything of it.

I hoped that Yohmei would be awake even though it was the middle of the night. Not surprisingly, I found him in front of the fire again, staring into it. I told Hao to stay outside the door and then went to talk to Yohmei.

"Master Yohmei? You remember that boy who I brought into the house earlier?"

Yohmei's eyes bored deep into mine. "I remember."

"Well, there's something I think you need to know about him."

"What's that?"

I took a deep breath. "He's your grandson."

Yohmei was silent for a minute. "Don't joke, Tamao. This is not the time."

"But…but I'm not joking. He's Hao, and he's been with the Mistress for 13 years!"

"No Tamao. He's not. H...Hao will never come back."

I stood up. "Fine. You don't have to believe me, but I know that it's Hao. Your grandson. And if you don't want to believe it, shut yourself up and don't let the truth through. I don't care!"

Surprised at my sudden, rude, outburst, I backed out of the room where Hao was waiting for me. He looked amused. "Thanks for sticking up for me. But…how do you know I'm the Hao you're looking for?"

Doubt entered my mind but I pushed it away. "It all fits, doesn't it? You're thirteen, you've lived with the Mistress all your life and you don't remember your parents."

He smiled at me and I caught a hint of guilt. "Is Mikihisa okay?"

I noticed that he didn't call him 'father' and felt a twinge of sadness. "He'll live," I replied. There was a pause.

"What about Keiko?"

I shook my head. "No one knows. She disappeared a few days after you did."

Hao looked down at the ground. He had a regretful look on his face, even though I knew it wasn't his fault. "I'd like to see Mikihisa."

I had been expecting this. "I don't know if Yohmei will let you."

"Fine. I can accept that. No one's ever loved me before, so why should anyone start now?"

Those words cut my heart. He said it as if he really didn't care, and I wondered if anyone had ever showed him any affection in his thirteen years. I was only nine, yet I had been loved more than him.

I sighed and yawned, suddenly tired. "I'm sorry you're not being accepted. I think Yohmei and Kino just need a little time to realize that it actually is you."

Hao nodded, but he didn't seen convinced. "I should go home."

"Home?" I was shocked. Why did he want to go back to the Mistress? I asked him.

"It's the only place for me. Besides, I didn't complete my mission. She should be the first person to know."

"Your mission was to kill Mikihisa." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. "I see."

I lead him to the door and soon he disappeared into the darkness. He didn't look back once, not even when I whispered, "Bye, Hao." His spirit appeared from nowhere and together they walked away. As I turned to go back into the house, I heard two people talking in hushed voices nearby.

"Who was that boy, Leam? He looked just like me!"

"Don't worry about it, Yoh. I'm sure it was nothing."

I rushed inside and slammed the door.

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Gah, this chapter took ages! Hao is such a hard character to write! It's the summer holidays now so I'll either be updating loads or not very often. It depends when I'm away.

**Morgan000: **Will do. Sorry this one took so long.

**Daedal: **I think you have now found out your first and second questions. Yohmei and Kino were miffed to see their _grand_son because they didn't know who he was. All they knew was that he'd try to kill their daughter's husband.

As always, please leave a review!

Xbakiyalo


	8. 8: Author's Note

NOTICE TO ALL READERS

**THIS STORY IS NO LONGER GOING TO BE UPDATED!**

The rewritten version is called 'TAMAO TAMAMURA: THE STORY' and will be posted up very soon.

Sorry for any inconvenience. But the new one is a _lot_ better.

I look forward to seeing you there!


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